Railroad-switch



"(No Model.)

M. A. GREEN. RAILRQAD SWITCH.

No. 269,048. Patented Dec. 12 18 82.

INVEN'I'OR WITNESSES M BY M . ATTORNEYS.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MARTIN A. GREEN, OF ALTOONA, PENNSYLVANIA.

RAILROAD-SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 269,048, dated December 12, 1882.

Application filed July 17, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may Camera:

Be it known that I, MARTIN A. GREEN, of Altoona, in the county of Blair and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and Improved ltailroad-Switch, of which the following is"a full, clear, and exact description.

My improvement in railroad-switches consists of an arrangement, substantially as hereinafter described and claimed, whereby the switch-rails carry the wheels over the main rails in such a manner that the main-track rails remain solid and the point and frog are dispensed with; and it also consists of a switch of such arrangement contrived in a manner that a train running along the main line will automatically shift and pass the switch when running in one direction in case the switch is open, and, also, so that a train running from the branch onto the main line will'shift the switch automatically, in case it is set for the siding, so as to allow the train to pass onto the main line, all as hereinafter fully described.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which similar-letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both the figures.

Figure l is a plan view ot'iny improved switch when open, and Fig. 2 is a plan of the same when set for the main line.

The rails a representthe main line, which is to be unbroken or uncut, both the frog and the switch-point being dispensed with. b represents the inside switch-rail, which is to be of the usual form, turning on thejoint c.

d is an outside switch-rail, that takes the place of the point and a portion of the stationary outside switch-rail onto which the point turns the wheel. It has a broad flanged top ate, and swings on thejoint'f, to lap over the top of main rail a, for the wheel to rise on it high enough for the flange to pass over rail a, the rail b guiding the wheel onto it. Rails b and d are both connected to the switch-bar g, to be worked by the switch-lever h, the same as. other switches are worked. To carry the wheels of the other side over the rail a, I use another switch-rail, 2', which, together with the stationary sections j and k, is arranged sufficiently higher than rail a to swing over it on ways lto makethe connections with the sectionsj and k, said rail 2' being pivoted at m,and

connected to rail 01 by bell-cranks n and rods 0,10, and q, so that it will swing at the same time that rails b and 01 do, and by the lever h. The stops 8 are provided to prevent the rail i from swinging too far and to prevent it from spreading, and rail i is provided with stops t u, to hook or bear-on rail a under the pressure of the wheels in such a manneras also to prevent rail t from slipping out of place under the wheels, The rail 03 is connected to rod g by springs to, and the bar g, to which rails]; and d are attached, is connected to the lever h by a-rod, a, and a spring, g, which are designed, first, to insure the shifting of rails b, d, and t entirely over, to make close joints in case of any slack in thejoints of the levers, and, second, to allow sufficient freedom to the switchrails to enable a train runningon the main line toward the left hand of the drawings to automatically shift the rails and pass the switch in case it is open. The springs to and 3 are to be set with a little pressure on the rails when in the positions represented in Fig. 1.

I intend to make the spring to in two parts, locating the parts on opposite sides of the collar 1 and two collars, a, of the rod q, for connecting said rod to switch-rail i.

For enabling the switch ,to be more certainly and effectually shifted by the flange of the wheel when passing along the main line, I propose to employ the shifting guard-rail f in connection with switch-rail z, and with relation to 'main rail to, as shown, pivoting it alongside of the main rail at b and connecting it to rail 13 by a rod, 0, so that when the switch issetfor the side track, as in Fig. 1 the rail f will bear nearits curved end against the side of the main rail a, and the flange of the wheel, wedgingin between them, will swing railf awayfrom the main rail, and will thereby swing rail i back from over the main rail, and also shift rails b and d for the trains to pass unobstructedly, after which springs 20 will'force the radii back to its former position. shifting rail f, I also propose to employ another shifting rail, 0 for automatically setting the switch by a train running from the branch onto the main line, so that said train may pass thereon. This rail 0 l locate inside of and along the branch rail is, pivoting it at d, and connecting it by rod 0 in such manner that Together with said 5 ICO when the switch is set for the train to pass along the main line, the curved end will bear against the side of rail 70, to enable the flange of the wheel of the approaching train to wedge it away and swing rail 6, also rails I) and (I, so that the train may pass from the branch onto the main line.

It is obvious that shifting rail 0 may be connected by suitable rods and levers directly with the rail *5, independently of shifting rail and I do not liniitmyself to the connection through said rail, although it is the simplest way.

Having thus fully described my invention, Iclaim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The combination, with an unbroken rail, a, and switch-rail b, of the switch-rail t', pivoted at m and placedhigher than rail a, the stationary sections j 7c, the ways I, the rail d, con- 20 nected with said rail i by the mechanism we 0 p q, the stops 8 t u, the springs 10 y, and the rod x, as and for the purpose specified.

2. The switch-rails b d 1', combined and connected with the Working-rods qw by the springs 25 w a, as shown and described.

MARTIN GREEN.

Witnesses:

E. T. KERNS, JAMES S. TEMPLON. 

